Dog Central gets small business award

A Mt. Pleasant hot dog restaurant is one of 12 from across the state to win the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center’s “Best Small Business Award.”

Dog Central and the other recipients of the awards were selected from more than 13,000 small businesses that the MI-SBTDC provided with confidential counseling and training last year.

Best Small Business award recipients were identified based on their success in creating jobs, increasing sales, improving their business strategies and their involvement with the MI-SBTDC.

The winners will be honored at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards ceremony May 2.

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Dog Central owner Paul McFall saw the community’s need for a high-quality restaurant that was both family friendly and open late to serve local students after a night on the town, MI-SBTDC state director Carol Lopucki said.

McFall’s solution was Dog Central, which has more than 25 styles of hot dogs and “a seemingly endless amount of toppings and sides,” she said.

McFall to his idea for Dog Central to the Mid Michigan SBTDC, where he attended a course designed to help him launch a restaurant, which helped him prepare for the endeavor, according to the MI-SBTDC.

Both the workshop and the counseling he received helped him anticipate other potential hurdles that he was able to proactively navigate through with the MI-SBTDC’s guidance.

McFall was able to get financing for the restaurant and officially opened the doors in August; since then, sales have “wildly exceeded his expectations and he has received nothing but positive feedback from his patrons,” according to the MI-SBTDC.

Dog Central has created new jobs and provides employment opportunities to Central Michigan University students, the MI-SBTDC said.

Dog Central draws students and residents to downtown Mt. Pleasant as a lunch, dinner or late night destination, and McFall is already planning to expand the restaurant to allow for more seating and increased production, the MI-SBTDC said.

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center provides counseling, business education, information based planning and technology commercialization to new and existing businesses throughout the state’s 83 counties.

It is located at the Grand Valley State University Seidman College of Business in Grand Rapids.